The Collaborative International Dictionary
Burnish \Bur"nish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burnished; p. pr. & vb. n. Burnishing.] [OE. burnischen, burnissen, burnen, OF. burnir, brunir, to make brown, polish, F. brunir, fr. F. brun brown, fr. OHG. br?n; cf. MHG. briunen to make brown, polish. See Brown,
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] To cause to shine; to make smooth and bright; to polish; specifically, to polish by rubbing with something hard and smooth; as, to burnish brass or paper.
The frame of burnished steel, that east a glare From far, and seemed to thaw the freezing air.
--Dryden.Now the village windows blaze, Burnished by the setting sun.
--Cunningham.Burnishing machine, a machine for smoothing and polishing by compression, as in making paper collars.
Wiktionary
n. A polishing. vb. (present participle of burnish English)
Wikipedia
Burnishing is a form of pottery treatment in which the surface of the pot is polished, using a hard smooth surface such as a wooden or bone spatula, smooth stones, plastic, or even glass bulbs, while it still is in a leathery 'green' state, i.e., before firing. After firing, the surface is extremely shiny. Often the whole outer surface of the pot is thus decorated, but in certain ceramic traditions there is 'pattern burnishing' where the outside and, in the case of open bowls, the inside, are decorated with burnished patterns in which some areas are left matte.
This technique can be applied to concrete masonry, creating a polished finish.
Burnishing can also be applied to wood, by rubbing two pieces together along the grain. Hard woods take the treatment best. Burnishing does not protect the wood like a varnish does, but does impart a glossy sheen.
If one wood has a dye in it or is colored in some way, it may rub off onto the other wood. Burnishing can also apply to relief printing.
Category:Artistic techniques Category:Types of pottery decoration
Burnishing may refer to:
- Burnishing (metal)
- Burnishing (pottery)
Burnishing is the plastic deformation of a surface due to sliding contact with another object. Visually, burnishing smears the texture of a rough surface and makes it shinier. Burnishing may occur on any sliding surface if the contact stress locally exceeds the yield strength of the material.
Usage examples of "burnishing".
What with all the hammering, sharpening, burnishing and polishing, we might have been such a city of smiths as Bran the Blessed encountered in one of his fabled journeys.
At a work-bench, repairing a burnishing tool, stood Fuscule: a tall man, very thin, all elbows, knees and long spare shanks.
The westering sun tinted the sky with evening colors of dusty gold and pale violet, flaming the woodland greens and burnishing the boles of towering chestnut and hawthorn with a gleam like bronze.
The main body of knights and fighting men waited restlessly, burnishing lance and sword and tending to their armor, making sure it was in good repair.
He stroked his immense nose with the pipe for a moment, burnishing the dark brown bowl.
Since the living room faced west, an orange haze filtered through the window, burnishing the mocha-colored walls and casting a warm glow on the ivory and beige tones of the decor.
Cugel worked until midnight with his cutters, burnishing irons and reamer, then treated pust, gangue, and timp.
He might be resting, or perhaps burnishing his worm, but in any case he will happy to assist you.
At a work-bench, repairing a burnishing tool, stood Fuscule: a tall man, very thin, all elbows, knees and long spare shanks.